One Life For Another
by peanut0565
Summary: He was willing to give everything for her. She was not going to die because of him. She couldn't die because of him. And He would die trying to stop that from happening. What-if AU


Obiadiah simply left, left him to die. But that wasn't the worst part.

No, hell no. The worst part of it all was the emotional butcher knife sticking from his chest right now. Tony didn't really care that he died at this particular moment, but Pepper on the other hand. He wasn't about to let his deranged CFO kill that angel of a woman, even if he died trying; which was a certainty now.

_You're not going to kill her._

He thought merciliously as he tried to move his lifeless limbs. As the mobility began to return, he flopped onto his side and rolled off the couch, landing face first onto the cold hard ground.

_No time for pain._

On Will alone he pulled himself nearly upright and stumbled over to the elevator that lead down to his garage. He went head first into the back wall, groaning, panting, trying to get a few more beats out of his dying heart, and pump more blood into his semi-working body.

_Pepper Will Not Die because of Me!_

He slammed his palm into the button, nearly breaking it with the force as it went into motion, moving quicker then he hoped to at this condition. He turned around, colliding his weight with the other wall as the door opened. His hands wrapped around the edge of the door as he stumbled out, panting.

_Can't Die...Yet._

He fell flat on his face once more in the workshop, but he wouldn't give up. He crawled on the floor, his energy waning, and the pain increasing ten fold with each heart beat. He couldn't hear the sound of his pant, or anything else over the blood rushing in his ears, and his heart pounding. He pulled the box towards him and reached for the casing that held the Mark I reactor.

_Come On... Just A Little Bit More!_

He slipped right as he was able to touch it with one finger. Falling again to the floor, and turning over in defeat. No more energy to expend, too much pain to think, too much guilt to comphrehend. He waited a second, his eyes were suppose to be playing his life right about now.

_I'm so sorry Pepper. I should have let you quit. I shouldn't have dragged you into this mess._

He saw something in his fading vision then. He glanced up and saw that his faithful robot, Butterfingers, had the Mark I Reactor in its' fingers. Tony reached for it, muttering a 'good boy' as the weight of the object was placed fully in his shaking hand.

_I can still save her!_

With renewed hope, he thrusted his tired body into the ground, taking his hand and the reactor with it. It shattered, and the glass hit and embedded into his hand, but everything else clouded the sharp pain. Then the fatigue took over, he couldn't move, his mind was shutting down.

_No! No! NO! I won't let it End this way!_

He screamed into his mind again and again, trying to get his hand to move closer to him, but heavy lids were pulling his vision to black.

_FUCK! Please, God, Let me save her. I know I've fucked up royally, but she. You can't let her die because of me. Thats just not right!_

"Tony! Tony! TONY!" He felt strong hands shake him from his stupor, and his pain-filled mind revived just slightly enough to crack his lids open to see his friend.

"Pep...per... Where is she?" His words were slurred as his organs were failing on him one by one. Rhodey's eyes watched him in panic.

"She's fine, she's with five other agents..." He told him.

"Thats not gonna... be enough..." He breathed his interuption, his fingers wrapping tightly around Rhodey's flight jacket.

"Sure it will, Everything's gonna be fine, Just let me call and ambulence..." Rhodey said, his words laced with obvious concern, and for good reason. Tony suspected he propbably looked as bad as he felt right now.

"No time..." He panted heavily, glancing at the arc reactor that was sitting nect to him.

"You... take the suit. Stop Obiadiah." Tony mustered, his voice growing soft, and the unconcious realm beckening him back, to stay in the darkness for good. Rhodey seemed to have just noticed the reactor then.

"You need it, though." Rhodey said, taking hold of the reactor and preparing it to stick it into Tonys' chest. As he was reaching towards it, Tony wrapped his hand around the wrist tightly, effectively stopping him with the all the strength he had left.

"Save Pepper, Please." He begged, his eyes pleading with Rhodey. He seemed to have understood, as he lowered his hand. Tony smiled weakly, before he realized he was even picked up. Rhodey wrapped his arms around Tony's shoulders, and knees; carrying him to the couch.

"Jarvis...will instruct you... kill the...bastard... Rhodey... For me." Tony spoke, his eyes closing as Rhodey carefully placed him on the couch in a comfortable position.

TBC - possibly.


End file.
